CapSat 6

If it were me, I would try out a Polar Lights Beetle first. They reissued these recently first decorated as a Spider Man kit, a Harley Quinn kit, and most recently as a Coca Cola kit. It's a snap kit, but VERY nice...comes with stock AND custom seats, bumpers, wheels- in other words, a great parts kit for Beetle builders, so, any leftovers would be a nice group of parts for the stash. I'm not sure the Airfix kit would be very useful, as the body will likely have thick Lego-like mounting areas inside the body that you would have to grind out. If the Grandson gets the kit though, that would work out The PL Coca Cola kit just came out, it might hit Hobby Lobby very soon. I think I tried mounting the old Revell Beetle body to the IMC drag chassis some time ago, and from what I remember, the firewall was too big to fit into the Revell body. I think the new Revell '68 and Polar Lights cars are really 1/24, so they might fit better, unless you want to carve on the top and side edges of the firewall.

If a stock Chevy V-8 with auto trans is needed, a nice one can be found in MPC's 78(?)-86 El Camino, or their '78-'81 Corvettes. These kits are very common, and (at least for the 86 El Caminos & most of the Vettes) inexpensive. It would also keep the build kit manufacturer and era correct.

I see a need here...especially if Round 2 will eventually be re-releasing their MPC '74 'Cuda. The Modelhaus used to do all of these bumpers, but now, I don't see anybody else doing them. Removing the bumper guards from the MPC '74 bumpers is nearly impossible. Just repopping MPC ''71-72 'Cuda bumpers (no guards on the fronts, standard guards on the rears) would be most welcome. Maybe you could see if somebody is not using the extra bumpers from their Revell '70 'Cudas? I don't like the Revell body one bit, but the bumpers don't bug me. I have not tried to fit them to MPC or Jo Han bodies, so I don't know if they will work, but at least the Revell "rubber" bumpers look right, if you want to use them on a '70 or '71 build, or, a '72-'74 non-stock build.

I'm a Challenger owner too, Bill - I know how you feel. My 2010 has been serving me very well, and I have REALLY enjoyed it every step of the way. I'll hold onto it for as long as I can. That being said, these proclamations we sometimes get about future products from the car manufacturers, especially the ones from FCA, usually turn out to be a little hazier than they first seem. I'm not sure that what they detail will happen quite as fast as they might say right now. We have had a good run- they have been making new Challengers in more or less the same form for about 10 years, with around 50,000 sold every year. It's been a much bigger sales success than the original. Even the new 6's give nice performance, whereas the old Slant-6's and 318's of the first generation weren't exactly movers in those cars. I still think back to when I saw the spy photos of the show car- I thought it was a photoshop or something- I just could not believe that they were able to get so close to the looks of the old one, with modern design. I was a little bummed that the show car interior didn't really carry over to the production car, but as it is, the current car is much more than I would have ever imagined being possible in my wildest dreams from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's!!! That being said, I try to keep an open mind when it comes to these changing technologies. They will become more widespread as they get better, that's just today's reality. A good friend of mine, who happens to be a car guy, recently bought a Chevy Volt to replace his aging Mazdaspeed 3 as his driver. I can attest to the old 3's abilities to scare the pants off of anybody who dared ride in it! He will be the first to tell you that the Volt will not do many of the same things that the 3 did, but he has gotten that kind of, ahem, startling performance that the 3 provided out of his system, and he now really enjoys the virtues of the Volt. Granted, his commute is about 10 miles round trip a day, but, he likes not having to put gas in it, and, the Volt will still go pretty well when you want it to... Now- combine the Challenger's style with new powertrain technologies, while keeping performance to an acceptable level (because even I would not ever NEED a Demon, even if I could afford one) - what's not to like about this?

I keep seeing this one pop up, so I'll play: I really tried to think this one out, as in: "what would I actually buy if it were available, and right?"... I don't like to build with resin bodies for the most part. I do own a few, but I much prefer regular plastic. If something was ever available as a regular kit, I will seek the old kit out before I turn to resin. So...I would buy the following, if offered, and if they were reasonably right: Jensen Interceptor (never done in 1/24 or 1/25 to my knowledge) 1975-1977 Chrysler Cordoba (I have the Air Trax '79) 1969-1970 Dodge Polara (I know a '71 is out there, but I'm waiting for the '70 specifically. I might still try for a '71 at some point if the '70 is not forthcoming). 1976-1977 Plymouth Gran Fury (C Body, full size) 1981-83 Imperial (I have the NASCAR body, and I have an old John Heyer body, and I had the old TKM body, but I would still buy a really nice one). 1981-92 Dodge Pickup 1971-72 Dodge Coronet / Plymouth Satellite 4-doors / wagons (these could utilize the 4 Door 1978 Dodge Monaco as a base). 70's Dodge Aspen (this could be a conversion kit consisting largely of bumpers and taillights for existing Volare kits, or even a whole body to use with the recent reissue of the 1980 Volare kit).

No problem, Brian! If you need a bench seat and standard grille, I believe that Harts' Parts Resin does both. Please post pics of this one when you can!!!

Here are some I found on Shapeways. I think the creator of these also posts here sometimes... https://www.shapeways.com/product/XRM3C52HF/1-25-scale-duster-valiant-hubcap?optionId=63730048&li=marketplace

The stock molded-in-blue '73 body came with the late - '72 "Petty-Charger" kit. These always came with flat hoods. It had a photo on the box, of what I think was a '72 season car on the box, made to look like a '73, with mods to the rear side windows in the pictures used. These kits came with non-vented Holman-Moody style steel wheels, and the decals were without the red areas representing '72-'73 style graphics. The modified molded-in-blue body came with the later MPC Petty Charger kit - these kits had photos of a built model on the box, and always came with bulge hoods. The wheels were later 10-hole style wheels, and the decals were the '74-'77 style graphics with the huge red areas printed. This was more or less the same body that came with the K&K Insurance / Buddy Baker #71 '74 Charger kit (although the Baker kits came with a body molded in white).

I’m actually using a 3.5 in a Dart Sport (Model) build. Lots of people hot rod slant 6’s, I think the 3.5 has lots of potential. They were good runners in 4,000 lb. cars, I’m wondering what they would be like in something lighter.

Oh- and one other- the Dodge Stealth. That was a Mitsubishi V-6. I know that Chrysler used Mitsu V-6’s in some of their passenger cars, but I’m not at all sure that they might have been variants of the Stealth engine. You’ll need to research that if you want to use one of those.

What Chrysler V6 are you looking for? The AMT Prowler glue kit (as well as the Revell Prowler) comes with a 3.5 V6. These were used from about 1993 to 2010 in many passenger cars (Intrepid, Concorde, later Magnum, Charger and Challenger up to 2010). You would have to modify the intake, but these V-6’s would give you a start on a 3.5. Also, there was a V6 that Chrysler made for awhile that was derived from their 318/360. I think they were solely found in Pickups and Vans. My understanding is that these were engineered to use most of the same parts as the LA V8’s, but specific blocks, heads and cranks to make them 6’s. None are available in scale as far as I know, but if you start with the 340 from AMT’s Duster, the 1/24 engines from Revell’s Challenger T/A or Ramcharger, or the 5.2 from Tamiya’s Jeep Grand Cherokee (for later “Magnum” versions), you could conceivably cut one of these down and get a Mopar V-6 out of one of them. You could always try to cut the V8 from the Volare kit down to make an early 3.9, but you’d be starting with an engine that is underscale to begin with- no wonder somebody in Round 2’s operation thought it was a V-6!

Sorry about the big print (although your eyes might thank me!), I don’t know how that happened...

I’m going to try to stick to keeping my thoughts on the original proposal. I’m kind of torn on this one. The idea I have had in my mind was: a series of pre-colored, easy to assemble curbside kits, of various classic and newer subjects. I’m thinking curbside because 1) they would be more accessible to younger or more inexperienced modelers and 2) to keep development costs down. I was thinking subjects such as: early 60’s Mopar B Bodies, some of the missing Mercury Cyclones, some Buick intermediates, a few interesting GM G bodies. Mopar A bodies and GM NOVA bodies would work well, because they would all use exactly the same chassis. Maybe add in some foreign subjects such as some 70’s Aston Martins, Fiats, and some newer cars as well. A little Muscle, a little luxury, some sports cars. Some old stuff, some new stuff. Sort of like a scale encyclopedia of cars. I think many younger modelers do like older subjects, but there really should be something for everybody in the series. The initial intro would have to be more than 4 cars- something like 8 to start, so that it would be a real series, so that there were enough diverse subjects to appeal to many potential purchasers, and also to whet the appetite of the market for more. It seems like when a series is started with 2-4 cars, sometimes there just isn’t enough subject there to gain interest and really get it rolling. The subjects would specifically be: cool cars that were never really kitted (or kitted well) before. 57 Chevies, Camaros, ‘69 Chargers, most Mustangs and Corvettes (except for the newest model ones) would be avoided. That would give us more advanced modelers some subjects we might not otherwise ever see as full detail kits. For the longest time, I had in my mind an 80’s Olds 442 for the series, but lo and behold, we finally got a kit of one. Packaging would have to be very exciting, and I would shoot for as much mass-market sales as possible (talk to Wal-Mart, Target, other large retail chains about selling them at those stores, and not just for Christmas). A reasonable entry price point would be determined, hopefully helped by the aforementioned mass-market push. I see decent quality 1/24 scale diecasts at Rite Aid and CVS for $10-$13 all the time - with substantially greater distribution than we see in today’s market, I have to believe that a relatively low MSRP for a product like this could be maintained. $25 per model is just too expensive for the casual builder. Hobby Shops might have to be talked into the pricing a bit, but it would have to be presented to them that this is a “gateway” product, that might encourage more interest in their pricier items later. If I were to commit money to these kits’ development, I would put as much as possible into making sure the bodies were very accurate, and that they could be built pretty easily right out of the box. Maybe a few custom parts could be included, and in the case of hood scoops or other bits for the body, perhaps they could be attached with some included double-sided tape, so that no glue would be necessary, and no holes would have to be cast into the body or have to be opened up. Assembly would be on a par with Revell’s current “Build and Play” line, or AMT’s old “Slammers” line. These were some of the easiest to assemble and best looking out-of-the-box models ever, and I think that goes a LONG way towards introducing new people to the hobby. My opinion of engineering them to fit specific full detail chassis is that it sounds good, but in practice, it might result from some unwanted compromises in design, and also, that would take development money away from ensuring good product overall. I would think that more advanced modelers who wanted to use these for the basis of more detailed builds could make due with a curbside and adapt an existing full detail chassis without too much trouble. These kits would have to have development costs controlled so that they could make a good return on the investment, but again, I would commit as much as possible to making the end result look good, both by way of accuracy (does it really look like a ‘75 Herkimer?) and overall result (how nicely does it build and present?).

I would not call this "Terrible"...I would call this: "hilarious!!!"... Full disclosure: I had one of these as a kid, and sought one out (cheaply) a few years ago. Mine is a keeper. I think in the '70's, this played much better than it does now. I think the driver is on his way to the Regal Beagle...

To me, the 2wd springs would not be much of a loss... for one, they look really spindly under a pickup, and also, my memories of these trucks back when they were new were that, much like many other pickups, their natural stance was with a slight rake forward when the bed was unloaded, because once the bed was loaded, it would drop a few inches. The LRE/ 4wd rear springs can be modified pretty easily to lower the rear end a bit if necessary. It will be interesting to see if Round 2 uncovers many of the older parts, and if they decide to recombine elements of this tool to do other versions. If the 2wd parts are included with the 4wd parts, that would be great, but there also are many LRX kits out there in case they are not. I remember the LRX kits being deeply discounted on closeout at several toy chains in the 90's. Right now, the LRX's prices are at a premium, but once the new kit is released, that should hopefully calm down a good bit.

Here it is. Different rear springs for the 2wd version. In the ‘73 instructions, they’re called out as part # 7. Also, I found some clean samples of these parts. I’m fairly certain all of the LRE’s got the 4wd rear springs, giving them their rake:

I think the 2wd front suspension was always the same. I think the LRE had a rake because the rear springs were bigger for the LRE 2wd than the stock 2wd rear springs for the older longbeds. It's possible that to create the rake, the LRE uses the 4wd rear springs, while the old annual 2wd's used lower/ smaller rear springs. I seem to remember that the older annuals that had options for 2wd and 4wd in the same box had different rear springs for each version, but I have not been able to verify this yet. I have an old (but really, really clean) 72-73 built at home that was done as a 2wd and it sits level. Also, I think I have a '73 Instruction sheet at home. I'll have to take a look at them tonight and see if the rear springs for the old annuals are different than the LRE rear springs & post my findings.

TERRIBLE! The box art shows 7's on the car, while the actual car has 3's!!! I would have been SOOOO angry if I had gotten one of these!!!

They could just do a "One Run of Fun" issue with whatever they have left of this. I have the feeling that they could probably do a Sweathogs version first with what they have left (as that was the later issue), then backdate it slightly to do the Grand Superfly. I think this could have sales potential now, since there is healty interest in Lowriders and Retro customs these days. Since Round 2's specialty seems to be licensed products, this would fit with their regular product M.O., but even if they didn't want to pay for the licensing, they could just offer it as a generic Retro Custom. Later, if it sells well, they could look at restoring it to stock '72 specs. I would not mind simply having the Dream Machine or Grand Superfly back. I'd be more partial to the Superfly version, but I would buy one, whichever one they would offer.

Beauty! And you do seem to have a nice knack for making the ignition wires look right!

Interesting color. Love the vintage NY Plate!

Nice!!!

A nicer (& I think more period correct) light bar was in the MPC Force 440 Monaco. If they could find that light bar, narrow the steel wheels & include narrower tires, that would go a long way. They seem to like licensing tie-ins- what about reissuing the T.J. Hooker version, or doing a tie-in for "Hunter", or "Hill Street Blues"? I would buy a Hunter kit just for the box art! They could always include a small "Taxi" sign, and offer it with appropriate decals (& throw in a hood scoop and custom wheels for fun)... I got a box of 4 nearly complete Monaco kits at the NNL East two years ago for a price that I couldn't refuse, so I'm taking one of them and cloning the "BigAmerican" car.

Fireball Modelworks does several sets like these...mostly for car applications. The caps in this picture are police car only (ventilated). It used to be that people usually added them to their Mopars because they had a set or two lying around. Fireball does an excellent set of those caps, too!

Also, I’m REALLY hoping they don’t include the 1/20 slick tires (as seen with any annual version that had a 4x4 option, except for the Warlock and FireFighter). It would be nice if they found the wagon wheels from those editions.